Soapbox speech for all those who are raising the next generation

This year at work I have been given a unique perspective which has made me pretty passionate about teaching kids the basics. Let me explain. My job title is Title One Technician (and playground supervisor, but that's food for another diatribe on another day!). What I do is tutor kids. Reteach stuff they didn't get the first time. Mostly I teach math, and I work with students in almost every grade, 1st through 5th. I've also been part of the team which tested every student in the school in reading.

So here are my observations:

The first few years are so important. Kids learn to read in first and second grade. If they don't get it then, it's unlikely that they'll ever catch up. An interesting statistic we were given was that prisons are planned and built based on the illiteracy rate of second graders! When we tested every student in the school, I learned that there isn't that much difference between a very fluent second grader and a sixth grader. It's like--they either have it, or they don't.

As for math, it's absolutely critical that they master the basic skills. The last few weeks, I've been teaching 5th graders graphing and order of operations. But you know the challenge? Why they are at the bottom of their classes? Because they can't add 8 + 2 without using their fingers. When they see 3 x 3, they draw circles and put dots in them to figure it out. Fifth graders are learning long division and manipulating decimals and fractions. How can these students possibly move forward? And the point is, they don't. They've mastered the ability to avoid doing the work--yet their lives would be so much easier if they would just buckle down and memorize!

But it doesn't start in 5th grade. The last couple of months I've been working with 3rd graders on learning their multiplication facts. Sometimes their teachers show them "tricks" to help them learn. But I fear that sometimes those tricks can become crutches which will later paralyze them. The simple fact is, they just have to do the work of memorizing. It's been interesting to walk directly from working with the 5th graders to the 3rd graders--seeing what will happen two years down the road if they don't get it now.

But it doesn't start there either. I also work with first graders who can't count past ten, and with second graders who can't add 3 +1 without drawing lines on their paper and then counting them.

So from this perspective, I offer a few humble suggestions to the keepers of the next generation. And these are things that every parent can do.

I probably don't need to remind any of you to read and read and read and read to them. Help them to see that there are wonderful worlds to be found within the pages of a book! Of course, you're teaching them the alphabet and the sounds letters make. And when they start to read, keep reading with them.

Some of the early math skills may not be so obvious. Here are some suggestions. Of course, you're teaching them to count. When they've mastered counting their blocks, try counting the blocks by twos. Let your kids play with money. Help them count it. Show them that four quarters equals a dollar. More than any other early math skill, it is so obvious which kids have handled money and which ones haven't--and those who haven't, really struggle to learn how to count money. Counting dimes and nickles and pennies (two at a time) will also help them learn to count by tens and fives and twos. Talk about time with them. Have a regular clock someplace and ask them which number the big hand is pointing to. Introduce them to adding and subtracting and, as they become older, help them become automatic with number combinations. These simple things can make a huge difference!

Okay, now I'll climb off my soapbox. Thanks for listening.